I spend a lot of my life on airplanes and whether for work or holiday, when I travel I still have to get stuff done.  I own a design business and work full time for an architecture firm, so I don’t ever feel like I get to fully check out of work, even when traveling.  Because of that, I am often spending much of my time on airplanes working and after years of trying to figure out how to get work done on an airplane, I feel like I finally have figured out some tips that help get more done while you fly, leaving less to get done when you land in your destination so you can actually enjoy your trip.  Here are my best tips for how to get work done an an airplane and everything I’ve learned over the years.

Sit in an Aisle Seat.

I know some people are really particular about which seats they choose and while I go back and forth between the window and the aisle option, when I need to work, I always choose the aisle for a couple of reasons.  First, there is more space than the middle or window since you can spread out a bit into the aisle if need be.  When I need to do a lot of computer work, I can spread my elbows into the aisle and it’s easier to type and do stuff on my laptop.  Second, it’s easy access to the overhead bin where sometimes I’ll have documents or power chargers or things that I need access to.  I find the aisle seat is just the overall easiest to get a bunch of stuff done.

Make sure you have headphones for your flight.

I always confirm that I have headphones when leaving for the airport because I like to listen to music while I fly but also because if I put a playlist on and my earphones in, I’ll get in the zone to work and not be distracted by crying babies or a chatty seat mate.  When I need to work on a flight, earphones go in the minute I sit in my seat and stay in until we disembark the airplane.

Make a list before you leave of the things you can accomplish on your flight.

I always make a To Do list for my flight the day before I travel just like I normally would if I was working a normal day in my home office.  It helps me to have a specified list of things I want to get done on a flight and helps narrow my focus so that I can just knock stuff off the list.  This also helps thinking about if you’ll have internet on the flight or not (which leads to my last points below), as sometimes it’s harder to think of the things that you can do without internet on the fly.  Make a To Do list and it will help focus your attention on the things you can actually work on and get done on your flight.

Don’t count on internet.

While most flights across the continental US and around the world now have internet available, I personally do almost all of my work travel to Hawaii across the ocean on flights which do not have internet, so I still have to figure out how to do my work without it.  I still write emails and such while on flights, but I just can’t send them until I touch down and have an internet connection.  But even if your flight does have an internet connection in the air, don’t count on it.  I can’t tell you how many flights I’ve been on that the internet is down or the connection is so slow you can’t do anything anyways.  Figure out what work you can do without the internet and if you end up having a connection, great.  But if you don’t, it doesn’t slow down your work either.

I read post after post about how disconnecting from social media, from our phones, from email and everything else while we travel is the only way to really see the world.  And I’m here to say today, I disagree with that assessment of travel.

First off, not everyone is in a position that that’s possible.  I don’t disconnect completely when I travel for a number of reasons that range from family scenarios to job responsibilities and others.  For me, I cannot travel AND disconnect, so I choose not to.  Second, I think this is such a personal thing and I get really tired of bloggers and influencers telling everyone that there is only one way to travel, one way to see the world.  Each person will see the world completely differently and we should all allow each other to do so.

I choose to travel and share my travels through Instagram and this blog here on Land of Marvels.  I choose to see a place and share it without disconnecting and still get a tremendous amount out of my travels.  Usually the argument is that you can’t really experience a place until you put your phone down, until you completely disconnect for work.  For me, I don’t want to do that.  I don’t enjoy doing that.  And I get just as much (or more) out of travel through the lease of my iPhone than other people get by disconnecting.

Travel is about the experience yes, but everyone’s experience is going to be different.  By sharing our travels, by writing about them and photographing them some of us, myself included, actually take in a place deeper.  For me, photos remind me a moment that might otherwise be forgotten years down the road, they remind me of a feeling, an emotion in that place.  So the next time you’re traveling, don’t feel like you have to follow all the rules of people telling you that you should disconnect while traveling.  Do what feels right to you, what sets your soul alight and what makes you happy.

There are some places in the world that are just romantic and there is no way else to put it.  The architecture, the restaurants, the cobblestones, some places just feel like you should be there with someone you love, wandering hand in hand.  Those are the places that are perfect for a honeymoon and since there are probably a lot of people getting married this Summer, I’m sharing today 5 of the best honeymoon destinations in the world in my opinion.  Nick and I honeymooned in London and Paris and while it was a wonderful trip, after seeing more of the world, here at my top 5 places that I’d pick for an an amazing honeymoon for all types of couples!

Udaipur, India

You might not immediately think India for a honeymoon, but Udaipur is not just any spot in India.  This city called the “Venice of the East” is so romantic with lakes and blooming flowers and gorgeous old Indian temples and palaces.  Udaipur would be the perfect spot to enjoy the romance of India with a little adventure thrown in too!

Paris, France

Ahh Paris, perhaps the most romantic city in the world.  I hold a special place for Paris always but also on this list as Nick and I honeymooned there.  Paris is the perfect place to splurge on a great hotel, wander hand in hand with your new spouse down the cobblestone alleys, stopping to grab a baguette or a macaron to head to one of the city’s many parks to just enjoy each other’s company.

Oahu, Hawaii

If you’re looking for a beach vacation and don’t want to leave the US, Hawaii is a great option for a honeymoon.  While it will be spendy (Hawaii is expensive in general), you’ll get that dose of aloha and a beautiful setting.  I’d recommend Oahu as your island of choice as it has great beaches but also so much else to do over some of the other islands.

Provence, France

Honeymooning in the South of France among the lavender blooming – that sounds like a dream!  A Provencal honeymoon would be perfect in the Summer time, spending a week just driving from hillside town to hillside town, drinking Rosé in the sunshine – ahhh heavenly.

Sevilla, Spain

Sevilla is perhaps one of the most romantic spots in Spain, and I’d argue, in all of Europe.  The white washed buildings bordered in bright colors, orange trees growing through the city and the old cobblestone alley ways.  Sevilla is a honeymooner’s dream and the perfect place to just be with someone you love and spend hours with pitchers of Sangria and Spanish tapas as music wafts in from the plazas outside.

I hear a lot from people that they are surprised we’re able to travel as frequently as we do and still have full time jobs.  And I’m always surprised by that because it’s so possible to work full time and be able to travel if you make it a priority.  Before I get into some of my tips for how to balance a career and travel below, I should preface this post with what Nick and I do for a living as each career will be a little different.  Nick and I are both in a unique position in that we are solely responsible for our jobs, meaning no one can cover for us if we’re not there.  Therefore, we have to always be “on” when we travel and don’t have the opportunity to shut everything off completely.  Nick runs a web/ecommerce division for a company in Portland and he is the sole person in that division, meaning he still has to be available for calls and emails while away.  I own my own design interior design business, meaning I am the only person in charge of all the projects I have going on and as well, need to always be available.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t still have an amazing travel experience and balance still doing your job well while you’re away.  Here are some of my best trips to balance a career and travel!

Plan ahead!

If you know you’re going on vacation, plan ahead and get as much major work done as possible before you leave.  I try to have all my projects in somewhat of an “auto-pilot” mode while I’m gone so it lessens the work for me while I’m away.  Of course, sometimes things come up like one year when Nick’s company’s website went live a week before our vacation to Europe which is basically his entire job.  But we still went and he just worked a little more than usual on that trip and it turned out fine.  But as much as possible, plan ahead so that while you travel you won’t have as much to worry about.

In an age where we are always “on,” find ways to have moderation and balance.

It’s super important for our minds and stress levels to find a way to not be always “on” in terms of work and communication with people back home while traveling.  You have to figure out what works for you, but when we travel we generally get up in the morning and answer emails.  Then go out and explore all day and then answer emails in the evenings so we get the best of both worlds while traveling and have some moderation.

On the day you leave for vacation, be “on vacation.”  Don’t go in the office or check emails – take the day you leave totally off and get in the travel mode.

One thing we really try to do that helps set the tone for the whole trip is to start the day we leave in vacation mode.  This helps if you have a morning flight but once you head to the airport, don’t check emails or worry about work, take the travel day to fully immerse yourself in your travel mode and it will be easier to balance everything then once you’re on the ground someplace.

During vacation, answer emails as needed in your downtime but don’t change schedules around for work.

As I mentioned above, we check emails and do any necessary work items in the mornings and evenings when we travel when we are in our hotel anyways.  This way we have the entire day free to see the place we’re in.  While we definitely still work while we travel, we always make our trip the priority and deal with work in our downtime.  Don’t schedule your trip around your work as that’s no different than when you’re at home!

Tell coworkers to email or text only, so that you don’t have phone calls coming in and you can deal with items as needed on your schedule.

We always ask that if people need to get a hold of us, to text or email as it’s easier to deal with that on the go.  We always have data on our phones when we travel so we could answer a quick email or text while we sit at lunch somewhere while on the go and can take care of it right then instead of a long drawn out phone call which interrupts your trip more.

Travel over Weekends if you can.

One thing that helps a lot is to plan your trip where it overlaps a weekend.  That way you can figure on at least a few days of the trip where people won’t be in the office back home and therefore won’t need you.

Let your brain have a break from work a little bit and don’t obsess over it.

It’s important for our jobs for us to have a clear head when we come home from vacation and it’s healthy for us to take a break every now and then.  So be sure to remember that when traveling and don’t obsess over work that can easily get caught up on when you get home.  Enjoy the trip!

As I grow more into my 30’s, I’ve started realizing that I look at the world differently than I did even just five years ago.  I look at people differently and I look at travel differently.  While in my 20’s I had this passion for just seeing all I could, I’m noticing that small changes in myself and in the way I travel in my 30’s are taking me down slightly different paths.  And while it’s no better or worse, I think as we age, we do start changing the way we do and see things and travel is no different.  When I think about how travel has changed for me in my 30’s, I think of a few distinct things that have helped me see the world in a completely new way.

I still want to see it all, but I’m not in such a rush.

In my 20’s, all I wanted to do was travel.  I didn’t care if we were only some place for a day and half, I just wanted to see everything.  As I’ve gotten older, I still like shorter trips than most people but I’m also not in such a rush.  In the past few years I’m more prone to see less of a place and want to go back to see more, rather than trying to fit everything in.  We’ve started staying a little longer in places and just really seeing what’s in front of us, rather than worrying about seeing everything.

I value the experience of food, culture, people, emotions of travel over everything else.

For me, travel has always been about the experience first and foremost.  But as I’ve gotten more into my 30’s, it’s magnified even more.  I live for those moments of eating incredible food around the world, of meeting people from different walks of life, of hearing local music and witnessing with my own eyes a completely different place, that for me is when I’m at my absolute best.  The emotional connection with travel is, for me, why I travel in the first place.  I’m not the traveler that lands and heads straight for the tourist spots, that packs in as much as possible and follows a tour group itinerary.  I like to wander, take everything in, enjoy the moments and enjoy life in whatever destination I’m in and that has only grown stronger as I’ve gotten older.

Chasing more life-changing moments.

In my 30’s, and here on out, I’m prioritizing chasing more life-changing moments, moments that truly change who I am, that make me think of the world in a new and challenging way.  I want magnificent landscapes and moving spiritual moments in my traveling future.  As I get older, I want more and more to just be in awe of the planet and to witness as much as I can in my lifetime.

It’s more about education than just seeing.

While I’ve always felt strongly to this point, as I get older it only amplifies.  I whole heartedly believe that travel without the education, without the storytelling, without your eyes opening up wide, serves no purpose.  Travel should be about educating yourself about different places, different cultures, different religions.  It should leave you with a new found openness, an education that comes with everything you witness while traveling.  And while seeing is great, witnessing is great, while traveling, what’s even more vitally important is to return home and share those stories, share what you saw and witnessed.  That is how the world is going to become a better place, when we stop fearing what we don’t understand and as travelers, we have an immense power to help foster that.  As I get older, this becomes more vitally important to me as I see how much a more open mind is necessary in our world.

Relish the moments.

As I get older, I become more and more aware of how lucky we are to have each day we do on this amazing planet.  And as my early 30’s have brought many challenges already, I’m reminded daily that there might not always be tomorrow or down the road.  A lot of people always tell me that they want to travel “when I get to this point…” or “when life dies down…”, etc., and while that’s fine, pushing things off might mean they don’t happen.  I don’t know if I’ll be in a position down the road to travel, who knows what might lie ahead both in my own life and in our world.  So as I get older, as I travel, I relish every moment even more than I used to knowing that our time here, our time traveling, is finite.